Medical diagnostic systems are ubiquitous in modern health care facilities. Such systems provide invaluable tools for identifying, diagnosing and treating physical conditions and greatly reduce the need for surgical diagnostic intervention. In many instances, final diagnosis and treatment proceed only after an attending physician or radiologist has complemented conventional examinations with detailed images of relevant areas and tissues via one or more imaging modalities.
Currently, a number of modalities exist for medical diagnostic and imaging systems. These include computerized tomography (CT) systems, x-ray systems (including both conventional and digital or digitized imaging systems), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) systems, positron emission tomography (PET) systems, ultrasound systems, nuclear medicine systems, etc. In many instances, these modalities complement one another and offer the physician a range of techniques for imaging particular types of tissue, organs, physiological systems, etc. Health care institutions often arrange several such imaging systems at a single or multiple facilities, permitting its physicians to draw upon such resources as required by particular patient needs.
Modern medical diagnostic systems typically include circuitry for acquiring image data and for transforming the data into a useable form, which is then processed to create a reconstructed image of features of interest within the patient. The image data acquisition and processing circuitry is sometimes referred to as a “scanner” if physical or electronic scanning occurs as part of the imaging process. The particular components of the system and related circuitry, of course, differ greatly between modalities due to their different physics and data processing requirements.
Medical diagnostic systems of the type described above are often called upon to produce reliable and understandable images within demanding schedules and over a considerable useful life. To ensure proper operation, the systems are serviced regularly by highly trained personnel who address imaging problems, configure and calibrate the systems, and perform periodic system checks and software updates. Moreover, service offerings have been supplemented in recent years by service centers capable of contacting scanners at subscribing institutions directly without the need for intervention on the part of the institution personnel. Such centralized servicing is intended to maintain the diagnostic systems in good operational order without necessitating the attention of physicians or radiologists, and is often quite transparent to the institution.
In certain centralized servicing systems, a computerized service center may contact a scanner via a network to check system configurations and operational states, to collect data for report generation, and to perform other useful service functions. Such contacts can be made periodically, such as during system “sweeps”, in which a variety of system performance data is collected and stored with historical data for the particular scanner. The data can then be used to evaluate system performance, propose or schedule visits by service personnel, and the like.
In addition, currently available service systems also permit some degree of interaction between service centers and institutions. For example, an interactive service system is known which facilitates valuable exchanges of information, including reports of system performance, feedback on particular incidents requiring attention, updates of system licenses, software, imaging protocols, etc. In particular, a platform has been developed that serves as a base for the interactive servicing needs of different modalities. This platform allows a central service facility to exchange information on possible service problems with remotely located scanners of different modalities, and to retrieve information or data log files from scanners for the purpose of servicing those scanners. The platform provides a uniform interface permitting clinicians and radiologists to operate a variety of scanners, and to report service issues for the scanners, via a uniform, intuitive format.
The known integrated user-interactive platform for servicing diagnostic equipment at remote locations may be configured in software, hardware, or firmware at the scanner or may be installed in a central operator's station linking several scanners in a medical facility. The user interface permits service requests to be generated prior to, during or subsequent to examinations executed on the diagnostic equipment. The user interface also permits service messaging, report generation and retrieval, etc. The user interface is preferably configured as a network browser, which also facilitates linking the scanner or the central facility control station to a network such as an intranet or internet. The same user interface may be integrated into scanners of different modalities, thereby further facilitating service requests and the like by operations personnel, without requiring the personnel to become reacquainted with diverse interfaces in a facility.
The existence of a uniform service interactive platform for facilitating interactive communication between remote medical facilities and a central service facility via a network provides a means for educating and training end-users in the use of diagnostic systems at the remote facilities. In particular, the end-users can be instructed regarding complex tasks and procedures, such as how to use specific features of a diagnostic system to perform specific tasks. The use of a network to educate and train end-users can improve both productivity and patient care. In addition, the dissemination of common information throughout a networked system of remote facilities would further the goal of standardizing examination procedures.